You must have completed release forms if your video contains a business name (or recognisable business), brand name, brand logo, or product (more details below).

You must have completed release forms if your video shows any artwork (eg: painting, poster, sculpture etc) where the copyright is not owned by you (more details below).

Unless provided by Genero as an Asset, you must have commercial clearance from the copyright owner to use any additional song, music, soundtrack, lyrics, image, logo, trademark, brand, artwork, video, celebrity look-alike, magazine, poster, book, etc. You can provide details of your source and license when you upload your video, or if no formal licence exists, you must complete an Artwork Release form from the templates provided.

Your video should not contain stock footage/photos etc. These are difficult and complex to clear for commercial use. Learn more.

Do not film any acting talent that is a member of a union, guild, etc.

Do not use any hidden cameras.

Always check the Project page for any special legal requirements, which may differ from points covered on this page.

Read and understand the Project Terms & Conditions which contain more detailed, important information you must agree to.

Release Forms

Clearances & Release Forms are a mandatory part of video production and briefs on Genero.

Failure to follow all of the below important steps may mean that your video cannot be included in the project, and will need to be unpublished from Genero.

Release Forms have been made available to make it easy for you. Note, we can't accept your own versions, or release forms that have been edited from our templates.

People in your video

Every person in your video that is recognisable needs to complete a release form. They’re digital, easy to fill out on a computer or a mobile device, and should only take a minute.

For ADULTS - You must capture an ID copy of each performer along with their form. We accept a driver’s license or passport for verification - or, if they are not available, please include a government issued photo ID.

For MINORS (under 18) - You must capture a government issued photo ID of the performer if available, such as a passport, and have the performer's parent or guardian sign the release form. If a government issued photo ID of the performer is not available a government issued document such as a birth certificate will be accepted with a copy of the parent's photo ID.

Note: You don't need to upload ID's to Genero until Genero directly requests them from you, so just keep them stored safely for now.

Tip: You can partially complete and save release forms in advance of your shoot, so your performers can quickly read and sign on a phone or tablet on the day of the shot.

Tip: Forgot to get a signature? Send the performer a link to their form for them to complete later.

Tip: Are you the director and you also appear in your video? You need to complete a release form too.

Why does Genero need copies of the performer's ID? All of our clients require confirmation that the performers appearing in the video are the same people who have signed the release forms. For legal and rights purposes, if your video is an Official Selection you must supply Genero with copies of the performer's ID(s) immediately upon request.

Filming groups or filming in public: When it is impossible to get a release from each person (eg. public places & crowd shots), you should post notices at all entrances to the shoot location saying “You give your consent to being filmed and to any use of the resulting footage, still photographs and/or audio in all media, now known or hereafter devised, throughout the universe in perpetuity”. Keep photographs of these postings.

You have used additional Music or Audio

If you have used licensed music in your video (other than what we provide to you), you will need to include a link to the license in the credits (you can do this while uploading), confirming it can be used commercially without any limitations or restrictions. You can also complete this information on the Edit Details tab of your View Submission page (Sources).

If a friend has provided original music to you, you will need to have them complete the Artwork Release Form so that the music is cleared for commercial use without any fee, limitation or restriction. Please also add your friend’s name in the Sources field of your video details.

6. Upload your video before the deadline. Your video will be held in moderation until it's approved to be published. This usually takes less than 24 hours, but may be delayed slightly especially around the deadline. We'll email you when your video is published!

The client will begin judging once all the videos have been moderated after the deadline. For many clients we can't give an exact ETA on when the decision will be announced, but we'll keep you up to date. When the selected video(s) are unveiled we also announce the Finalists and Staff Picks.

After the client has received the final video files from the Selected filmmaker(s), Genero releases payment to be collected through your Genero account.

Because the intention for a selected video is to be used commercially, and the ownership rights to the selected video are to be transfered to the artist/label/brand/agency, we generally do not accept the use of stock or public domain footage, although we do reserve the right to apply discretion.

While some stock footage is cleared for commercial use, the issues of rights ownership and restrictions with licences mean that ownership transfer is generally not possible. Public domain footage generally does not transfer ownership at all.

For the above reasons we require that your video footage is original, created and owned by yourself, and able to be transfered to the artist/label/brand/agency in the event your video is selected.

As per project terms, Genero filmmakers retain full ownership of their video footage if they are not selected as as the official video. If you feel that footage from a previous project fits with another potential project then you may certainly create a new edit from your existing shots - you own that footage after all!

For an example, the officially selected video for M83 - Steve McQueen was a re-edit of a previous Genero submission, which was itself a re-edit of an incomplete short film. The Steve McQueen video now has over 3 million views on YouTube!

We're looking for high quality videos that have the potential to become official videos.

We're all about creativity and pushing the boundaries in terms of what video is and what it can be. There are no real creative guidelines on what we're looking for, but it should be high quality, creative, innovative and entertaining. The video selection usually becomes the official video for that song/brand/project and will often be intended for broadcast, so keep that in mind when making your video.

Make sure your video is shot in 16:9 or wider, and shot in HD (at least 720p; 1080p preferred) so it can be used across all of today's media platforms.

We moderate every video to check not only for appropriateness, but also for quality of concept, creativity and filmmaking. We apologise in advance if your video isn't published because it isn't deemed of sufficient quality to potentially be used as an official video, but we have a responsibility to each of the artists, labels and brands we work with to make sure the videos being made for their music and published on our site are of a high quality.

Before you get started, make sure your video content is suitable. Here are the main reasons for videos not getting approved;

- creatively or conceptually, there is not much of an idea (eg. family/travel/stock footage set to music) - the overall production or editing quality level is too low - your video has racist, violent or defamatory content

Creativity is very subjective, for that reason we often can't give specific reasons why your video hasn't been published. Remember we're looking for videos that could potentially be used as the official video for the music artists and brands we feature.

No not all videos submitted are published on the site. We moderate every video to not only check for anything inappropriate, but also to check the videos are of a standard that could potentially be used as an official video.

You can think of this moderation as the first round, like having your video accepted into a film festival, and we do this on behalf of the artists and labels we represent.

All closing times we quote are in GMT, which stands for Greenwich Mean Time. This is a global time reference point, and we use it so that everyone knows exactly what time a project closes. To be absolutely certain, we recommend doing a Google search for 'GMT time' which will return the time at that point. Sorry, but we cannot accept late submissions if there is any mis-understanding or confusion about closing times.

We have a countdown on each project page: as you get into the last two days of the deadline it will switch to hours remaining, then minutes - so you know exactly how much time you have left.

It's our view that videos with a Second Life or Machinema style aesthetic aren't generally suitable to become an official video. We don't rule them out completely, and do publish some given they represent a different medium - but in most cases we won't be publishing them.

We feel that they aren't in line with what artists and labels are looking for, and while the artform is supported by many music artists there is very little uptake, if any, as official videos.

We moderate all submitted videos on behalf of the artists and labels we represent and many other videos have also not been published for the same reason. You can read more about that here.

We apologise if your video hasn't been published, and we appreciate the time and effort you would have spent making your video.

Be careful: lip syncing can be tough to do well, and may end up looking amateurish. Any lip syncing used in your video should be high quality, creative and fitting with your narrative or video concept.

We're not looking for 4 minutes of you singing to the camera - remember, you're making a video for the artist to best represent their song.

Go to the project page for the Artist or Brand you've made your video for and click on the UPLOAD button on the right hand side. You'll then be taken to an Upload form - browse to find your video and upload it, fill out the forms and click SUBMIT. If there is no UPLOAD button on the project page it may mean that the deadline has passed, so make sure you check the dates.

No, please don't add any credits in your video. You can use the Description and Other Credits areas to provide any further details about your video and other contributors. If there are credits appearing in your video you'll be asked to remove them and resubmit it.

If your video has not been approved, it is possibly due to one of the following reasons;

Aspect Ratio We need your video in HD, and 16:9 or wider (up to, but not wider than 2.39:1) so that we can use it in all media types if selected as the official video. If you want to check your aspect ratio, you can divide the width by the height, eg. the minimum resolution we accept is 1280x720. Dividing the width by the height gives you 1.7778, which is 16:9 (16 divided by 9). If your video is wider than 2.39:1, please letterbox your video to 16:9 prior to upload. Read more about aspect ratios (Wikipedia).

Black BarsVertical black bars (pillar boxing) or black bars surrounding your video (window boxing) are NOT acceptable. Sometimes, exporting a 4:3 movie to 16:9 simply adds black vertical bars left and right of your footage, this is still a 4:3 video, and won't be approved. If your video is wider than 16:9 (eg. 1.85:1 or 2.39:1), our transcoding process will add top and bottom black bars so that it plays within our 16:9 player, or you can add them yourself so that it is uploaded as a 16:9 file.

Titles/Credits We don't allow any credits to appear on the video. There is space on your video's page (when uploading) where you can put credits and extra information. Titles (not credits) are acceptable if they are an integral part of the creative idea.

IMPORTANT: all officially selected videos will be required to upload a broadcast quality version of their file, usually via FTP. If you are unable to supply a broadcast quality file to the client's specifications, your video may be deemed unable to be selected.

Use the below specs as reference only - once selected we will contact filmmakers directly with the exact specs as required by the client:

The Genero Awards are an annual celebration of outstanding creativity, vision and skill in filmmaking by our amazing global community.

The Genero team will select Staff Picks from each project based on outstanding quality, creativity and originality. Staff Picks are automatically nominated into the Genero Awards.

Genero may select one or more Staff Picks from each project.

The Director of the Year is chosen from nominated Staff Pick videos. Genero will look at the full body of work from nominated directors over the year, and choose the Director of the Year based on the quality, creativity and originality of their entire body of work across Genero projects for the year.

Genero may not be able to select Staff Picks for certain projects, depending on the project terms.

Yes you are permitted to include audio in your video, if Genero hasn't provided any as a downloadable asset.

The outcome of most Genero projects are for the videos to be used commercially - like to be shown on TV or pubished on websites.

For this reason any music you use should be your own original music, or you must have purchased or obtained a license to use the audio commercially (like public domain music, for example), and it should be free of limitations and restrictions.

You must include a link to the source of any licensed music when you upload your video. Videos uploaded without credits and information about the source of audio and the licence for it will not be published.

2. If that doesn't help, please send us the following;- operating system, browser & version you are using (eg. Windows 7, Google Chrome, 4.0.249.89 (38071), the version can be found in the About menu of your browser- your IP address by going to myIPaddress.com, it will show you a series of numbers separated by dots, just copy and paste those and send it to us.

You can replace your video with an updated edit and you'll keep all of the votes, views and comments your previous version had.

Just follow these simple steps;

- Login to your account
- Click your PROFILE image at the top right corner of the site
- Click on "Manage My Videos"
- Click on "Edit Video" for the video you want to update
- Click the REPLACE VIDEO tab
- Follow the steps from there

If you want to upload an entirely separate and different submission, then don't use the process above - you should upload a new entry from the project page.

On brief pages you'll see a "Keep me updated" button (in the mobile app this is a star icon in the top right corner).

Use this button to subscribe to a brief and receive updates. We'll email you a couple of days before the brief closes so you don't miss a deadline, and if there's any urgent updates to the brief we'll let you know too.

Note: if you download a song or any other asset for a brief, you're automatically subscribed to that brief.

There are different types of briefs on Genero that ask you to respond in different ways:

Pitch an idea

A client will post a brief to find a director or directors to make a video or videos. Briefs may vary in scope, from a 15 sec mobile video, to music videos, to multiple videos for global brand campaigns.

Read the brief and all the requirements and deliverables, then pitch your idea by the deadline.

The client will review all of the pitch submissions, then choose a director or directors to work with.

The filmmaker receives the payment amount when the video has been delivered to the client; however for productions of a larger scope with large budgets Genero will facilitate progress payments as agreed by the client and director(s).

- The selected director(s) and all shortlisted directors earn Quality Ranking on Genero.

Read the brief and respond with a fully produced video! These briefs usually offer plenty of creative freedom allowing you to bring your vision to life in response to the brief.

Read the brief, plan and shoot your video, and upload before the deadline.

The client will judge all the video submissions and make their selection(s). The director(s) of the selected video(s) receive the payment amount, plus any other rewards and recognition as indicated on the brief.

The laws for filming in public differ between countries and even cities so we can't give you a complete answer on this. We highly recommend that you check with your local film commission, local council or similar body.

Genero is completely free for filmmakers to pitch for work, build your profile, and use commenting and Community/Discussion (we don't charge any subscription or registration fees).
In order to cover costs like funds transfer, site management, and filmmaker insurance (coming soon), Genero always takes a 10% service fee from Filmmaker budgets - we only get paid if you get paid.
We always clearly mark the full amount you will receive for your work as the "filmmaker payment". That full amount will be paid to you via Payoneer (minus any applicable Payoneer transfer or exchange fees, details below).

Payoneer

Genero pays filmmakers using the payment service, Payoneer. Payoneer is free to join, and you can sign up with a Bank Transfer account (receive payments directly into your personal bank account) or a prepaid Credit Card account (Payoneer will send you a prepaid Credit Card and you can accept your payment as prepaid credit).

Genero briefs are paid in either United States Dollars (USD), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollars (AUD), or Euro (EUR).

You need the respective Payoneer account type to receive a payment of a given currency. EG: to receive a USD payment from Genero, you need a USD account with Payoneer (regardless the currency in your country or bank account). Note, it's very easy to add currencies once your main Payoneer account is approved; you can do this through your Genero Payment Dashboard.

Payoneer charges a small transfer fee for you to receive payments (usually no more than a couple of dollars) but these fees vary depending on your location, so check your fee details during sign up.

Important: For bank transfer payments, Payoneer pays you in your local currency. This means that if your bank account currency is different to the Genero payment currency, you will incur an exchange fee. EG: if you are receiving a GPB payment from Genero into your USD bank account, Payoneer will change you an exchange fee. This fee may vary depending on your currency, but it is usually around 3% which is generally the industry standard. Check your Payoneer account for fee details.

The Filmmaker Payment includes all the costs associated with the provision of the production services by the Filmmaker. ​​Filmmakers are solely responsible for the payment of any of their own income or similar taxes, where applicable. As Genero is an Australian company, Genero cannot receive a deduction for foreign taxes (such as VAT).
Please see Section 3.8 (g) of our terms for more details.

Some briefs may require footage to be shot in a certain city, country or location; and other briefs may require filmmakers to be based in a certain location in order to attend meetings and similar reasons.

Unless otherwise stated, any required travel costs need to be covered from the total budget payment (ie: there is no additional travel budget).

When pitching on briefs with location requirements, please carefully consider whether you'll be able to meet the brief to a high level. If you're not based in the required location, and travel expenses or unfamiliarity with the location will potentially impact the quality of your work, then it might not be in your interests to pitch.

With that being said, we encourage filmmakers who are certain they can produce a high quality result for location-based briefs to include travel breakdowns and other related details in their pitch, so the client is aware of your ability to deliver.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please use the "Discuss" tab on each brief.

Clients may post a brief on Genero but select only a small handful of specific filmmakers to pitch - these are called Private Briefs. Clients may opt to post a Private Brief for a variety of reasons, like briefing filmmakers they've worked with before, tight timeframes, or limiting the brief to filmmakers in a very specific region.

If you receive an email invitation to a Private Brief on Genero, it works just like a normal brief - pitch your treatment by the deadline, and if selected you'll move ahead into production.

Connecting a global creative community to the music, brand and advertising industries.